Belgian government intends to support Brussels Airlines after integration in Lufthansa Group

The federal government will make every effort to secure Brussels Airlines' position in Lufthansa, Prime Minister Charles Michel said Thursday in the parliament in response to questions from Gauthier Calomne (MR) and Eric Van Rompuy (CD&V).

The government intends to both "consolidate" the African destinations of the airline operating from Brussels-National Airport and "comfort" its destinations to the United States and India. It also wants to "verify" that there is a "compatible strategy" with Belgian "interests" in intra-European destinations.

The full integration of Brussels Airlines in Lufthansa via Eurowings does not come as a surprise. It is the result of agreements made in 2008 with the German company and the activation of a contractual option in 2016.

Since then, the Prime Minister says he has increased his contacts with Lufthansa and the federal entities concerned about the strategy to follow. Last weekend, he met with the CEO of Lufthansa and plans to see him again "very soon" but did not specify the date of meeting.

At least 166 Walloon communes were affected by an exceptional drought between 1 May and 1 August, according to data from the Royal Meteorological Institute (IRM), Wallonia’s Minister of Agriculture, René Collin, disclosed on Monday.